There's less than one month to go in the MLB regular season, meaning that all eyes are on playoff races. While there're several intriguing ones to speak of, the most competitive is the AL Wild Card race. It's been so tight all year, and that third spot in particular can go to one of many different clubs.
While many teams are still in the hunt, some should feel more confident than others. Some fan bases in particular should be giving up hope based on how things are trending entering play on Sun, Aug. 29.
AL Wild Card standings
Team | Record | Games Back |
|---|---|---|
New York Yankees | 77-58 | +9 |
Boston Red Sox | 74-61 | +6 |
Cleveland Guardians | 68-68 | - |
Toronto Blue Jays | 67-70 | 1.5 |
Baltimore Orioles | 66-69 | 1.5 |
Texas Rangers | 66-70 | 2.0 |
Seattle Mariners | 64-72 | 4.0 |
Minnesota Twins | 64-72 | 4.0 |
Detroit Tigers | 63-72 | 4.5 |
While teams like the Kansas City Royals, the Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels are still technically alive, they're all 7.5 or more games back, meaning their fan bases should've lost hope a long time ago. Teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are near locks to get in. The rest of the Wild Card race is worth following.
Seven teams are within 5.5 games of each other for the third Wild Card spot. In fact, four teams are within 2.5 games of each other, showing just how close this race is. This suggests it's anyone's spot to win, but again, some fan bases should be giving up hope based on their recent play and what lies ahead.
These AL fan bases should be losing hope
Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers fans lost hope for 2026 when the team traded Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize away at the trade deadline, but their low morale didn't last long when the team won six of its first nine games after the deadline. They seemed to be not only in the thick of the Wild Card race but also in the running for the AL Central title as well. Unfortunately, they were swept immediately after that by the Chicago White Sox, and they had lost 11 of their last 13 games since, until Saturday's win over the Dodgers.
All of a sudden, the Tigers are 63-72 and 4.5 games back of a Wild Card spot. Not only is their deficit starting to get rather substantial, but they have six teams in front of them. Making up 4.5 games with six teams in front of them while being without Skubal and Mize feels entirely too unrealistic for Detroit's fan base to believe in a comeback happening.
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins have exceeded expectations for much of the year and even bought at the deadline, acquiring guys like Jeff Hoffman, A.J. Minter and Dean Kremer in an attempt to bolster their pitching staff. Vibes should be high for a team that buys, especially after they promote top prospects like Kaelen Cullpepper and Walker Jenkins, but the Twins have not played well of late at all. They've lost seven of their last eight games, falling to within 4.0 games of a Wild Card spot.
That's not insurmountable at this point in the season, but again, there're a ton of teams in front of them, which makes it tougher to gain ground. Minnesota has gone just 16-22 in the second half, with a -45 run differential. Byron Buxton continues to be banged up, while Joe Ryan's return from an IL stint of his own is unclear. They've defied the odds all year, but Twins fans shouldn't expect that to happen again.
Texas Rangers
As recently as Aug. 24, the Texas Rangers held sole possession of first place in the AL West. Sure, they only had a .500 record, but first place is first place. Well, they've lost four in a row and have been outscored 32-15 in those contests. They've fallen to 2.0 games back in the AL West and in the AL Wild Card race as a result. A four-game sample size is microscopic, obviously, but there are red flags with this Rangers team that make them hard to trust.
For example, their remaining strength of schedule is the fourth-toughest in the American League and the toughest among the teams in the Wild Card hunt. They've gone just 27-35 against teams with even or winning records, suggesting they might struggle. Another red flag is their inability to win on the road. The Rangers have gone just 30-41 away from Globe Life Field this season, and they've now lost their seventh straight road series. If they can't win on the road, how can they win enough to make the playoffs?
Not to mention, their offense has been maddeningly inconsistent all year, Jacob deGrom has had more downs than ups of late, and Nathan Eovaldi, Josh Jung and Robert Garcia are among those who are currently dealing with injuries. It isn't looking great.
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